


(not-so) happy new year.

by freiline



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Family Reunions, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22416577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freiline/pseuds/freiline
Summary: It's the big Oshitari family reunion held annually every New Year, and yet the young Oshitari teenagers do nothing but fight and bicker.
Kudos: 4





	(not-so) happy new year.

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be my entry for a tenipuri zine back in 2018, but not only did i not check my email and thus fail to submit it, but it also i think exceeded the word count limit so i supposed it all worked out in the end.
> 
> this is the uncut (aka the original, long version) of said entry. hope everyone enjoys it to some degree!

Family reunions were more often than not joyous occasions. A time dedicated to re-establishing familial ties, to laugh and immerse oneself in light-hearted merriment, surrounded by the company of close-knit, blood relatives.  Or at least, that was the ideal. The picturesque portrait painted by societal norms and generations of heralded tradition. You'd think that one would look forward to these seemingly fun-filled gatherings, but for some reason when it came to Oshitari family reunions, Kenya felt as though it may be best that they all kept a certain distance from one another.

Especially when it came to one _particular_ branch in the family.

“I _swear_ I don’t even remember your friend!” There it was, the signature low cadences of his beloved, bass-singing cousin. Yuushi had screamed at Erina and his voice, towards the end, went a few pitches higher from the stress of his frustration.

“Then why was she so heartbroken when you rejected her?!”

Sometimes, Kenya was jealous of how older girls seemed to take an interest in Yuushi, regardless of it was in evident bad taste or not — his darker-haired cousin always seemed to attract those older than them, sometimes around Erina’s age and sometimes (as highly questionable and _illegal_ as it was) even those older than Erina. But that was something Kenya refused to say aloud, even though he had an inkling that Yuushi was already aware of it.

“How am I supposed to know?!" Yuushi continued to scream. "You know I never hurt girls like that intentionally!”

Headaches, they both were. Bulging, larger-than-life headaches, burgeoning first from the far recesses of Kenya’s brain then forwards and upwards to his temples. Don’t get him wrong, Kenya took immense delight in seeing his normally calm cousin, veneer immaculate and pristine as was always expected of him, with feathers evidently ruffled and his comfort zone pushed further and further towards the line of precarious. But there was only so much he could take of their constant bickering and need for dominance between one another.

And that threshold had been breached, give or take, two hours ago at dinner.

How they managed to live under the same room was beyond Kenya’s comprehension (and garnered some well-deserved respect for their parents). Perhaps they fought so often that eventually they tired out, ran out of fuel to power up their enormous engines, and the burnouts last for an entire week before the cycle began anew. That was all he saw between the two of them as they grew up, and that was all Kenya could theorize. It was an endearing reflection of the relationship their fathers shared, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

In an attempt to curtail their almost ear-deafening decibels, Kenya spoke up. “Yuushi, onee-chan, Aunt Kazumi said we have to—”

“Shut up, Kenya, she said we could go when we’re free.” The two in fervent argument miraculously found space in between shots to spit back at Kenya in almost perfect unison (give or take a beat or two off from one another, but it was a notable feat nevertheless).

Kenya took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his already tenuous nerves, something he did an awful lot when in the presence of these two normally level-headed siblings. If there was one thing they had in common, it was their cold bite; masters of diction, they both were, highly poised and well-seasoned in the battle of quips and guile.  He’d long learnt that whatever insistent attempts he made at pacifying the situation or acting as the moderator between the two would all be for naught, simply wasted breaths and wasted regurgitation of the same rehearsed line over and over again -- more muscle memory than conscious effort, at this point.

‘Stop it, you two, your parents will get mad.’

‘They always get mad at us, they’re used to it,’ would be the same routinely thrown retort.

He found his lips mouthing out the words his tongue so often rolled out, along with the siblings’ guaranteed response. How they even got to this stage had been lost to Kenya but that as well was a constant -- one minute they’d be sat in a circle on Yuushi’s bed here at the main Oshitari household, exchanging stories and innocuous anecdotes, and the next Erina would be throwing pillows and nearby objects within her proximity at Yuushi.

This was all a recurring nightmare, really.

“Don’t think I forgot how you tried to get Kenya and I to dress up in your clothes,” Yuushi hissed with shards of ice in each word and Kenya couldn’t help but flinch, both at Yuushi’s voice and the remembrance of that dreadful Saturday afternoon. He still found his body convulsing alone from the very strength of his dread and the embarrassment of recollecting that horrid memory. The current nightmare continued to grow.

Erina, however, seemed entirely unaffected, and it was reflected in the devil may care tone of her voice. “I don’t care if you forgot or not, Yuu-chan, you’re not that important.”

Each time, without a doubt, Yuushi would freeze at the mere mention of the ill-mannered pet name, let alone when it was directed at him for the umpteenth time in  contemptuous ridicule . Kenya snickered, as he always did,  and was immediately shut down by a silencing glare from the victim in question .

Something got caught in Kenya's throat and he swallowed the hypothetical lump, coughing a bit before attempting once more to dissipate the tension in the air. “Yuushi, onee-chan, calm down.”

“I don’t understand why you’re not taking my side, Kenya, don’t remember the time you woke up to ponytails and the hair ties were glued to your hair?”

“That was _her_?!”

“Of course it was!”

“I thought it was you!”

“Yes you did, you dumbass! Remember that big fight we had  _ because _ you thought it was me and then she took that moment to throw our toys away?!”

“Oh yea.”

Out of the blue Erina spoke up, all composed and unfazed by the growing hostility aimed towards her. “Are you two done bickering? I want to get a snack.”

“No, we’re fighting you!”

And so, they started another bout of squabbles and petty arguments.

* * *

The trek from the main Oshitari household all the way down to the nearest supermarket promised to be an arduous journey even without the added weight of groceries in hand. Surely, that would be enough punishment for their previous immaturity and tomfoolery? Alas, mercy was not bestowed upon them.

Whatever otoshidama the trio were supposed to receive was resolutely cut by half under the adults' notion that "if they were to act like children then they were to receive otoshidama fit for children". Which was reasonable, of course, but that didn't change the fact that it was a curse that now loomed over their heads.

And so they took to their silent brooding and overall bitter gripes, though Erina attempted to showcase some resemblance of maturity by exuding as little negative energy into the already heavy air as she could. They would have continued to go after each other's throats if not for the glowering threat that what little they'd have left be halved even further, and in Erina's case the added possibility that the promise of her father's old car would be revoked. They’ve had enough excitement for the night, they finally decided.

They walked in complete silence and all that could be heard amidst the silence of the night were the soft patter of their footsteps along with the occasional shuffling of fabric in an attempt to keep warm, their clothes and coats the only things shielding them from the harsh cold winter that enveloped them. They scurried over to the doors of the supermarket, eager for the confines of a heated space, and the little chime that jingled upon their entry relieved some of the tension that lingered from their earlier heated brawl. Or at least it was enough for Erina to finally speak and take charge, grabbing two baskets and passing one to the two younger relatives as she instructed for them to go down one aisle whilst she went the other.

With no true reason to refute that Erina was their de facto leader (either than the bitter recollection that she hadn't shown that much maturity earlier when she'd reached forward and yanked at Yuushi's hair), the two boys made their way down the aisle she pointed towards. Yuushi softly listed out the items on their shopping list and Kenya helped add each item into the basket in his hand, the former giving a request that Kenya treat the items with more _care_ and to stop tossing them in (which Kenya didn’t abide, of course, but it became a little inside joke that left room for some shared chuckles).

They soon moved on to the next aisle for no purpose other than to see what other products they could add to the growing burden they would have to shoulder back to the house (they called it a house but it was really more of a large compound comprised of various houses — but that’s a tale for another time). They glance over all the little treats and titbits lined up neatly on the shelves and Yuushi's eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar looking snack, an all-time favourite of Kenya's that the person in question had yet to spot, given how his attention was at the opposite shelf.

The fakely bespectacled male reached forward and grabbed hold of the snack, not so much inspecting it but more so considering his options. He considered himself a rather forgiving person, quicker to let bygones be bygones than to let the remorse and distress of a frayed relationship linger to fester and eat away at his inner well being.  Whatever ill will he had against Kenya had long been melted away by the warmth of their casual banter and been replaced with the affection he had for his cousin. Even if he was a pain in the ass at times who often screamed into the mouthpiece of his phone, even if Yuushi’s hearing was pristine. If he bought the snack for Kenya, albeit it the smallest of gestures, it would surely be considered a peace offering. Or at least, that’s how he assumed many would understand it as, and he liked to believe his cousin wasn’t as peculiar as he could be at times. 

Yuushi was never one to wear his emotions on his sleeves, and he equally as much preferred to keep the true condition of his heart under wraps — any subtle way of expressing repentance, he would greatly appreciate and make full use of.

He grabbed another bag of the snack and tossed them both into the basket Kenya was holding, ignoring the confused sounds and insistent calls directed at him as he merely walked away. “I’ll buy those for you,” he stated in all casuals, leaving no room for argument or leeway for disapproval. “Hurry, nee-chan’s probably already waiting.”

“Oi, Yuushi!”

“Don’t shout so loud, Kenya, it’s already late.” Yuushi turned his head to throw a small grin over at Kenya once he caught up to the darker-haired boy and Yuushi gave him a smug look, eyes glimmering with a hint of amusement and contentment laced within it.

“You’re both so loud, I can hear you from the other side of the supermarket.”

A third voice joined the commotion right as Kenya took a swing at Yuushi with the basket (and missed), and they both found Erina stood at the very end of the aisle. Her basket was held out and seemingly contained more than she was in charge of. “Yuushi, carry it.”

“What’s all this?” Yuushi, without complaint, asked as they made their way down to her and he took hold of the basket.

His eyes skimmed through the various items certainly _not_ on their shopping list. Potato chips, some cups of jelly, bottles of Calpis (and two bottles of Yuushi’s favourite brand of bottled green tea, he couldn’t help but notice). In any case, they were all products that their grandparents wouldn’t advice they consume on a regular (including the pre-packaged green tea, because brewing your own batch was obviously far more superior).

Yuushi felt less guilty that both parties ended up grabbing more from the shelves than was charged upon them, and the corners of his lips quirked up slightly.

“They’re peace offerings, obviously. Let’s stay up all night and play video games.”

Yuushi’s eyebrows furrowed. “But you don’t like playing video games.”

“But I like making fun of either one of you when you lose.”

‘ _Ah, as expected_ ,’ Yuushi and Kenya, unbeknownst to one another, both commented mentally.

“Hurry up, boys, time is of the essence!” she announced with all the dramatics and grandeur only she of all people could whip out despite the unsightly hour on the clock, grabbing both their arms and dragging them over to the nearest available cashier.

The transaction went as smoothly as it possibly could, minus the timely coincidence that Erina forgot to bring her wallet and so, made Yuushi pay for all of her generous peace offerings. Before long they were back into the cold air and Erina positioned herself between the two younger males, lacing her arms around theirs so she could pull them in close for warmth.

“Could you at least carry _something_?” Yuushi threw her a slightly annoyed look.

“Aww, my little brother is so sweet, offering to carry all the bags for me~”

“Listen to what I’m saying.”

Their laughs, minus Yuushi’s, rung and echoed into the chill of the winter air, stars glimmering above head and the moon smiling down upon them. Family reunions were still a tiresome chore, Kenya insisted. But sometimes, they weren’t so bad.

Especially if you had relatives willing to give you free stuff.

**Author's Note:**

> stream [Crazy F-R-E-S-H Beat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfVfBqkk2Vo) on youtube please, thanks


End file.
